The Chautauquan Daily

John Hamre, president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in Wednesday’s 10:45 a.m. lecture that America’s future as a global leader depends on developing political health as foreign aid. “There is just a profound disagreement on where we’re heading as a country with our politicians,” he said, referring to politicians on both sides of the spectrum. Hamre, who is also a former U.S. deputy secretary of defense, presented “Charting a Development Agenda in a Time of Austerity,” the third lecture for Week One’s theme “Global Health and Development as Foreign Policy.”

“What is the value of a mother’s life?” Then: “What is the value of your mother’s life?” These questions, posited by Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese, the founder and director of Save the Mothers, began her presentation, “Am I My Sister’s Keeper: Addressing Maternal Mortality in the 21st Century.”

For children who visit Chautauqua, Children’s School may be the beginning of a lifelong love for the Institution, according to Jack Voelker, director of the Department of Recreation and Youth Services. “It really is the entry-level experience of the life of the community, because this is how you start getting to be a part of the Chautauqua experience,” Voelker said. The program, which serves upward of 150 children per week, runs from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday for children ages 3 to 5.

The sun dazzled Mole’s sleepy eyes as he poked his nose out from his chilly underground home into the sweet-smelling spring air of the English countryside. The thrill of adventure beckoned as Mole set off in pursuit of what would soon become one of the most beloved tales of children’s literature, The Wind in the Willows. At 4:15 p.m. today in the Garden Room of Alumni Hall, the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle Young Readers Program will meet to discuss the most binding theme of this classic novel — friendship.

Nunziatas bring cabaret to Amphitheater tonight

If the way to get to Carnegie Hall is to practice, practice, practice, how do you get to the stage of the Amphitheater? For Will and Anthony Nunziata, it was practice and the PBS special Chautauqua: An American Narrative.

When he steps behind the podium today, John Hamre says the audience he’ll be addressing will be made up of the same type of people he tries to recruit every day to effect international change. Hamre is the president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan, non-profit organization that seeks to change policy by providing ideas and strategies to government officials, international figures and members of the private sector. He will speak at 10:45 a.m. today in the Amphitheater.

At an early age, Dr. Afaf Meleis learned from her mother and grandmother that there are different kinds of power and different types of leadership. Now, she teaches others to rethink their attitudes toward power and gender inequalities around the world. “It’s important to be able to detect some of the challenges and risks that women are suffering from and to fix the quality of life and health, and if it does that, it also affects families and communities and societies,” Meleis said. “Empowering women is a cause that could lead to, and does lead to, peace in the world.”

Ancient Greek mythology did not separate medicine and music. Apollo was the god of both. Dr. Allen C. Steere will present both scientific and intuitive evidence that suggests the Greeks may have been onto something at 9:15 a.m. Thursday at the Chautauqua Women’s Club. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet and hear Steere discuss the links between medicine and music at the first “Chautauqua Speaks” program of the season.

Tuesday’s lecturer Sandra Thurman, president and CEO of the International AIDS Trust, quoted Martin Luther King Jr. to convey her views on global health diplomacy: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” The International AIDS Trust is a non-governmental organization that focuses resources to aid the worldwide battle against AIDS. The organization must overcome cultural and religious barriers abroad to take preventative action.

The facts speak for themselves. HIV/AIDS is an equal opportunity killer. Thirty million people are currently infected. Instead of targeting the young and elderly, the disease most frequently kills those between the ages of 15 and 40. “If we don’t act on this, it’s a lack of faith, hope and love,” Ambassador Mark Dybul said.

When Kent and Fredrika “Freddy” Groff first visited Chautauqua in the summer of 1976, they were so taken with the place that they settled here almost immediately. “We came on a Sunday and bought a house on Friday,” Kent said. Their attraction to the Institution remains unwavering after 35 years, and they are committed to help facilitate other families’ visits to Chautauqua, particularly those who are less able financially.

Families looking to enjoy a stress-free Tuesday night have to look no further than tonight’s Family Entertainment Series act. Michael Harrison, a ventriloquist, puppeteer and comedian will perform at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. tonight in Smith Wilkes Hall. A semi-finalist on the 2008 season of “America’s Got Talent,” Harrison takes his passion for entertaining kids and families very seriously. He has performed on many cruise lines, including Norwegian, Princess, Royal Caribbean International and Holland America, and he just finished his 10th year with Disney Cruise Line.

The members of Apollo’s Fire bowed to the audience’s applause after their performance at Chautauqua in 2007, but this year’s performance of “Come to the River” may yield even better results. “This program is really special for Chautauqua in particular because Chautauqua has this long tradition of focusing on Protestant church history and the different ideals that have been discussed,” said Jeannette Sorrell, the founder of Apollo’s Fire.

Rye Barcott will discuss his book It Happened on the Way to War at 4 p.m. today in the Hall of Philosophy. It Happened on the Way to War is an account of Barcott’s experiences living in the Kenyan slum of Kibera. Barcott initially visited Kibera as a 20-year-old student from the University of North Carolina on his way to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps.

A singer’s life is not just about music. It’s about stage presence, drama and belting to the nosebleed section. Today at 1 p.m. in McKnight Hall, students in the Chautauqua School of Music’s Voice Program will celebrate the beginning of an intense summer season with the annual “sing-in” event.

Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese’s kids are global children. They each know what it feels like to go to an international school, be the only kid in class who speaks English and spend only four months of the year in their hometown of Ontario, Canada. This is because for the other eight months of the year, their mom teaches Ugandan leaders about maternal mortality and trains them to change the way their neighborhoods treat maternal and child health.